


war is a slippery slope

by turtlenecksandsweaters



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/F, Gen, Heavy Angst, Invisible Kingdom | Revelation Route, Whump, and felicia, bad timeline, but azurrin die, sorry felicia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:42:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24342976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turtlenecksandsweaters/pseuds/turtlenecksandsweaters
Summary: you meant so well.
Relationships: Aqua | Azura/My Unit | Kamui | Corrin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 13





	war is a slippery slope

“I’m sorry, little princess.”

“No, you’re not.” _Don’t say that, don’t make this hurt any more._

Azura lays limp against her chest, breaths labored, and Corrin shields as much of her body as she can with her last torn wing. Yato is broken in her hand, and only half of her mask remains. _I wasn’t strong enough. Nothing is going to change. I’m sorry._

Xander stands in front of them two, off his horse and Siegfriend in hand. Even with a broken Yato, he doesn’t step any closer. He wouldn’t dishonor her by underestimating her now, at least. Corrin bites her bloody lip, rueful smile baring bloody teeth and fangs at him. The rest of their siblings are nearby, proof enough by Niles’ arrows piercing Azura and Corrin. She doesn’t think she could handle seeing Elise or Camilla, not now.

“You can still return to Nohr, Corrin,” she would never say Xander begs, but it’s the closest he’s ever come to it. His eyes plead with her, his empty hand about to reach for her.

Corrin growls, snapping her jaws at him. “You know better than anyone that I can’t. If you had just _listened!”_

She can no longer stop the angry tears from spilling over. Azura is nearly dead in her arms, Felicia is just— _gone,_ she can only see a heap of pink hair in the mud, somewhere in the distance. The feral monster in the back of her mind forces her to take in the sight of her friend’s body, to build the love she had for her brother into something worse, something she can taste in the back of her throat and use to tear and _hurt._

“If you just _trusted_ me,” Xander is silent, and thank god, because Corrin might just bite her tongue to listen to him. Looking down at Azura, she hugs her briefly before moving to lean her against the ground.

She won’t bother with keeping herself decent anymore, she doesn’t even look back down at Azura once she’s standing over her body. They’ll probably be dead soon, anyways. In rage unbecoming, she throws Yato’s broken handle away to the side, focusing her eyes past Xander once again, to soft, kind, _clumsy Felicia’s body._ She forces herself to take it all in, to let the rage consume her. To allow the arrows piercing her body to fuel the fire building in her mind.

Her mind is no longer _hers._ All that is left is anger, uncontrollable urges surfacing to the pores of her skin and oozing out in purple miasma. The power that flows through her blood _boils,_ pushing out of her mouth, and her vision is clouded only by burning red and smokey borders.

If traitor was what they branded her, then catastrophe is what she would bring upon them. In the end, she had brought this upon herself.

Her bones begin remolding, just like in Hoshido, Mikoto dead under her. Her feet stretch into long claws, digging into the mud, careful not to harm Azura any further. Hunching, her hands form massive maws, the spine on the back of her armor stretching up to create the rest of her destroyed helm and antlers. The tail comes last, whipping behind her wildly and giving away her unadulterated _hate._

Xander is stunned, but only for a moment, and he hardly shows it. If she hadn’t grown up with him, she wouldn’t have noticed. Her corrupted consciousness doesn’t recognize the falter.

Instead, she leaps forward and brings down her claws in a last ditch attempt to _hurt._ There is no scream of anger, or yell of pain or surprise. Her hands stop at Xander’s chest, claws pointed in a dangerous edge. Siegfriend embedded in her stomach protrudes from her back.

The muzzle over her mouth won’t allow her to speak, but the tears that escape her are more than enough for her brother to look at her. She wouldn’t call the expression panic, as it isn’t one she’s seen on his face before. But it _hurts._ More than the sword in her stomach, and maybe the person she had been trying to hurt wasn’t Xander at all because the pain is satiating her anger.

Her mask and helmet fall away in drops of water, and Corrin _laughs._ Laughs through the tears, laughs through her hiccups. When she falls to her knees, Xander falls with her, still holding Siegfried strong in her belly.

Xander won’t speak, so she will. Through the hiccups and the pain and the tears.

She smiles, and lifts her still-dragonic hand to his cheek, gentle despite monstrous. “You’re crying.”

Xander puts his hand over hers, and smiles bitterly when he finds that she’s right. He _is_ crying. Wouldn’t anybody be? He shouldn’t, really. Shouldn’t show weakness, not as the Crown Prince of Nohr, but right now, it doesn’t matter for once.

“If this is the price of peace, then so be it,” she starts again, craning her neck painfully to look back at Azura. She can’t tell if she still breathes or not. She tries to swallow back the fresh wave of tears, but her body betrays her anyways and she lets out a sob.

“My only regret is not being able to protect her.”

Heaving a sigh that jostles the sword in her stomach, Corin winces and grips the blade so hard her hands bleed.

“Will you tell me how long you have loved her?” The question appears to surprise both of them, but Xander is determined to know. It’s a form of self-torture, but he needs to know. To know why Corrin gave everything for Azura — why Azura gave everything to lead Corrin down a path she couldn’t return from.

Xander pulls Siegfriend from her stomach and catches her when she falls forward. Laying in his lap, he holds her for the last time.

Corrin looks up at the sky and smiles, _“From the moment we met — though I hardly know when it began.”_

She can’t say anymore, so Xander hooks his arms behind her shoulders and knees, standing and bringing her back to Azura’s side. Kneeling in the dirt, he places her down next to Azura on her back. Lastly, he takes Corrin’s limp hand and puts it over Azura’s.

Before standing, he removes his left gauntlet and glove, reaching over Corrin to press two of his fingers to Azura’s neck. Nothing. Xander clenches his jaw so hard it hurts, eyes straining to focus when he leans back to stand up. Throat dry and hurting, he closes his eyes and drops his hands down to his sides. 

_If you just trusted me!_

He hears running footsteps nearing from behind, and he grabs Elise’s running form before she can pass him. Lifting her in his arms he hides her face in his scarf — she’s already crying, fists hitting his armor weakly. She struggles for a minute or two, before allowing herself to sob against him. With his sister crying in his arms, Xander allows his tears to fall freely now. Even when Leo and Camilla finally get to them, he doesn’t try to hide it this time. 

  
  
  
  


You're not a demon, there's a reason

You're behaving that way

It's alright, it's okay, it's alright, it's okay

And I believe, yes I believe

That you will see a better day

**Author's Note:**

> cried the entire time i was writing this :) im currently working on a fluffy azurrin/3h crossover but i had to get this out. have to get my angst outlet SOMEhow rip  
> song that inspired this: it’s alright by mother mother


End file.
